Hollywood stars want guarantees films will play in theatres
Actors urge big-screen releases as Disney, WarnerMedia embrace streaming
To win the rights to a new movie starring Will Smith as Serena and Venus Williams’s father, AT&T Inc.’s Warner Bros. had to agree to a nonnegotiable demand from the star, according to people familiar with the talks: The studio would release the film theatrically before streaming it online.
As streaming services proliferate, major Hollywood stars have become increasingly concerned with how certain movies are distributed, seeking guarantees that their higherprofile—and perhaps awardworthy—work gets the attention that generally accompanies a big-screen release.
Mr. Smith held additional leverage to seek such terms on “King Richard,” the movie about the Williams sisters’ father, because it is being produced by the star’s own production company.
Films such as “King Richard” have become particularly vulnerable to a direct-to-streaming release. Middle-budget movies geared mainly for adults are having an increasingly difficult time earning money in the cinema as the genre is more widely consumed online—or displaced entirely by series like Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
In recent years, the movies with the most success wooing customers into theaters have been the flashy comic-book adaptations offered by Walt Disney Co.’s Marvel Studios or the type of lower-budget horror films suited to a darkened theater experience.
Nonetheless, Warner Bros. must have confidence in Mr. Smith’s project, paying a hefty $60 million (U.S.) for the biopic and giving it a full nationwide theatrical release, people familiar with the deal said.
The studio will also hold the film back from online distribution for the standard 90 days.
In the past, Mr. Smith’s star caliber—often capable of filling theater seats on his name recognition alone—meant the actor didn’t need to seek guarantees his movies would be shown in cinemas. His box-office appeal has slipped in recent years, however, amid fewer hit movies.
As media companies including Disney and Warner Bros. parent WarnerMedia make plans for streaming services of their own, actors and directors are showing more interest in how their films will be released before signing on to projects, according to several Hollywood talent agencies.
That is particularly true of movies that could be contenders for awards. To qualify for the industry’s most prestigious awards, including an Oscar, a film must be shown in cinemas, even if only for a limited time.
Disney considered earmarking the live-action Winnie-thePooh movie “Christopher Robin” for an exclusive release on its planned Disney+ streaming service, according to people familiar with the discussions.
However, star Ewan McGregor lobbied to stick to the company’s original plan to release the film in theaters, one of these people said. Director Marc Forster also felt strongly about releasing the movie in theaters, another person said.
In the end, Disney released the film last summer; it went on to gross a so-so $200 million at the box office world-wide and received an Academy Award nomination for visual effects.
Several prominent directors have argued they create films to be appreciated in the theater and not at home.
Before closing a deal with Netflix Inc., Martin Scorsese demanded the streaming giant commit to release his coming film “The Irishman” in theaters later this year before moving it online.
Netflix agreed to the director’s terms and came on as a producer as a soaring budget threatened the project’s future.
A movie release in theaters, usually preceded by advertising, posters and other efforts to woo audiences, is generally more of an event than a debut online, where a new title can quickly become lost in the shuffle.
The creators of last year’s hit “Crazy Rich Asians” turned down a lucrative Netflix deal in favor of Warner Bros., on the theory that a theatrical release would give the film greater cultural impact.
Yet studios have also sometimes decided in recent years that a planned theatrical release doesn’t make sense for a movie with weak commercial prospects, and instead have opted to sell it to Netflix. Last year Warner Bros. sold the streaming giant the “Jungle Book”-inspired movie “Mowgli,” concerned not only by the film’s iffy box-office outlook but also that it was arriving too soon after Disney’s own hugely successful live-action take on the Rudyard Kipling tale to justify a costly theatrical release. Netflix showed “Mowgli” for a limited time in just three cities before making it available to subscribers at home.
As media companies make plans for streaming services of their own, actors and directors are showing more interest in how films will be released before signing on